Monday, May 9, 2011

Our day sketching at Horse Brass Pub and Movie Madness had lots of potential but was a pretty crummy day for sketching outside. The outside sketch was done earlier in the day after we met up at The Red Square Cafe but after that it was all inside!!

On Sunday I traveled to a winery out in Hillsboro (Willa Kenzie Estates). The ride was fun but again the rain just drove us inside. Fortunately we were prepared and brought lots of goodies to snack on between wine tasting (the others were tasting- I was drawing!)

Sunday, May 8, 2011

Some of us met up on SE Belmont at the Red Square Cafe for a rainy day sketchcrawl.

I didn't realize it until I got there that I was at the last page of my sketchbook! So, my sketches were all crammed together.

From Red Square, we checked out Movie Madness...where I drew a costume

Movie Madness At 33,000 DVD titles and 27,000 VHS titles, if Movie Madness isn’t the largest video store in the world, then it’s certainly a contender. Officially recognized by the Southern California Motion Picture Council for its outstanding contribution to the entertainment industry, Movie Madness is to movies what Powell’s is to books. And then there’s the museum. Yup, museum. In addition to the rental side of the business, owner Mike Clark – let’s just say a character in himself – has accumulated prop and wardrobe memorabilia from some of the biggest blockbusters ever to come out of the ‘wood. What this means is that, in the very same store that you’re renting your Hitchcock, the knife from “Psycho” awaits you. Or maybe you’re more interested in the alien head from “Aliens” or the time machine from “H.G. Wells’ The Time Machine.” Costumes worn by Barbra Streisand to Diane Keaton to Mike Myers are displayed as are all the lead actors’ wardrobes from “West Side Story.”

From there, we headed over to Horse Brass Pub, a traditional English pub. It was dark and full of items on the walls and bar. "it's going to be sketchy" said Deb, and she's right...I very sketchily sketched the pub.

I sketched these on the end paper of the sketchbook...
...a black and white photo of Winston Churchill on the wall

Vicky and I headed over to Tabor Space

where i experimented with a new sketchbook and a water soluble graphite pencil that i wasn't used to. Result was that i didn't like the sketch, so i sketched right on top of it with a bold black pen....

and then the best part of the day was asking if it was alright if we could draw during a drum circle. What fun! I really enjoyed sketching while these folks kept the rhythm!

Saturday, May 7, 2011

Today, some of the Portland Urban Sketchers sketched at the Horse Brass Pub. Here is my contribution, which is really an example of not knowing when to quit. My first mistake was putting a column almost dead-center in the sketch. I used pen and ink, then added watercolor, and when I got home, I decided to try to add a brown wash to everything except the kitchen window (center) to try to convey the dark interior. Didn't really work, so I added more ink (both black and white) until finally, I decided to stop. If you want to see a good example of dark pub drawing, look at Pete Scully's work instead. Still, I tried lots of things and I know I got some new knowledge from the experience.

Next, Alanna and I carried on to TaborSpace and I drew some comfy chairs.

And then, the best part: Alanna asked if we could draw the drum circle that was practicing there. That was fantastic! With the pounding drums, it's easy to just get into the rhythm of gesture drawing and somehow the ink just flows. They were very a very welcoming group and it was a great way to end the day's sketching.

Call for Programming! International Symposium Chicago 2017

The 8th Urban Sketchers Symposium is in Chicago, July 26-29, 2017. We are seeking proposals for Workshops, Demonstrations, and Lectures by Thursday, December 31, 2016 (11:59 p.m. GMT). Selected proposals will be announced in January.

about Urban Sketchers

Urban Sketchers is a nonprofit organization dedicated to raising the artistic, storytelling and educational value of location drawing, promoting its practice and connecting people around the world who draw on location where they live and travel.
Sketchers from the Portland area share their drawings on this blog.

By making a donation to our nonprofit you'll be supporting the work of urban sketchers around the world and helping our community grow.

Our Manifesto1. We draw on location, indoors or out, capturing what we see from direct observation.
2. Our drawings tell the story of our surroundings, the places we live and where we travel.
3. Our drawings are a record of time and place.
4. We are truthful to the scenes we witness.
5. We use any kind of media and cherish our individual styles.
6. We support each other and draw together.
7. We share our drawings online.
8. We show the world, one drawing at a time.

The Urban Sketchers logo was created by Italian graphic designer Franco Lancio.